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New Zealand Cuisine
New Zealand's cuisine has been described as Pacific Rim, drawing inspiration from Europe, Asia and Polynesia. The typical food of New Zealand includes:lamb, pork and cervena (venison), salmon, crayfish (lobster), Bluff oysters, whitebait, paua (abalone), mussels, scallops, pipis and tuatua (both are types of New Zealand shellfish), kumara (sweet potato), kiwifruit, tamarillo and pavlova, the national dessert.
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A mixture of New Zealand food

Casual New Zealand Cuisine

New Zealanders eat a lot outdoors in the summer. They are good at cooking cervena (venison), crayfish (lobster) and there are fresh fish and shellfish in huge quantities because New Zealand is surrounded by the sea and therefore it is very common for people to go fishing. One of the typical dishes of New Zealand is definitely the Maori hangi. It’s cooked underground, a deep hole is dug, lined with red-hot stones and covered with vegetation. Then, chicken, pork, lamb, potatoes, Kumara (sweet potato), and other vegetables are positioned on top. The whole oven is sprinkled with water and sealed with more vegetation. The hole is then filled with earth and left to steam for several hours. The hangi is usually prepared for special occasions. Traditionally, men dig and prepare the hole, and women prepare the food to be placed above. All members of an extended family help out for such a feast. The day of the event is very nice, relaxing and fun, where many people have a meal in a marquee in good company.

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Preparation of the Maori hangi

Wildfood Festival

For people who want to taste everything, you can’t miss the Wildfoods Festival. Held every year in Hokitika, this festival is all about celebrating New Zealand's wild food. For this event many people from all over the world come to New Zealand. The Wildfood Festival has become so popular that it has gone on to win awards and accolades. Stalls show off all types of odd but interesting food . Everything from sheep's eyes to bug larvae, wild highland beef, curried Hoki Tikka, pesto ice-cream, mountain merino and venison tongue are all on the list of things you can try. However, if eating wild food is not to your liking, you can still enjoy the entertainment and stage performances around the festival arena.
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One of the dishes of this festival

Wine and Food Festival

Every year in many cities of New Zealand, including Auckland, Hawkes Bay, Martinborough, Nelson, Canterbury and Queenstown, are held many wine and food festivals. This festival brings a tremendous amount of wines and food all together making people understand how wine can integrate with many different styles of cuisine. These events are a good way to have a funny day out with the family. There are, in addition to the wonders of wine and food, many areas for children and for music.
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One of the many wine and food festival

Dine with the Vine

Many New Zealand vineyards run restaurants as part of their business, offering world-class fare using the best local seasonal produce. These are popular eateries with tourists and locals alike, providing the opportunity to sample top New Zealand food alongside award-winning New Zealand wines. They use these wine to produce their creations - including seafood, lamb, cervena (venison), and fruit including kiwifruit, feijoas and tamarillo.
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Hard Rock Cafes Founded in 1971, with highly distinctive branding and displays of rock memorabilia, Hard Rock Cafes are theme restaurants known throughout the world. There are currently 134 Hard Rock Cafes in 54 countries and until 2004, there was a Hard Rock Cafe in New Zealand. external image hard_rock.jpg

This is the symbol of Hard Rock Cafes

Adapted from:
http://www.tourism.net.nz/new-zealand/nz/cuisine-and-dining/
Exercise:
New Zealand Cuisine exercise